Bubbly
by starspangledlibra
Summary: Rei might just be falling head over heels in love for the boy who fell asleep on his lap at the karaoke bar... Ok he definitely is. But what should he do about it?


Rei was trapped. Well, maybe trapped wasn't exactly the right word for the situation he was in, but for right now, he couldn't think of a better word for it, so trapped was just going to have to do. But it was the pleasant kind of trapped, like the kind where a cat crawls into your lap and starts purring, then quickly falls asleep on you. You could easily move the cat, push it off your lap and walk away, but for whatever reason, you don't. Instead, you simply sit there and pat its head, allowing the cat to rest on your lap for as long as it wants; no matter how many other things you have to do. Looking back down, Rei decided that it was definitely that kind of trapped, only instead of a sleeping cat in his lap, he had a sleeping boy.

He wasn't even sure exactly how it happened; one minute he was trying to choose a song to sing, and the next, he felt a weight on his legs. Startled, he had looked down, only to find that Nagisa was now resting on Rei's lap, with his eyes closed and a peaceful smile on his face. At first, he thought Nagisa was only pretending to sleep, but once he heard light snoring, he knew that the smaller boy had truly conked out. Rei wanted to be irritated. _What kind of person just falls asleep on their friend in public and uses them as a pillow without even asking?!_ he wanted to say. But instead, he patted Nagisa's head and ruffled his soft blond curls. "Honestly," he whispered. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Rei-chan," Nagisa mumbled, and Rei's entire face turned red. His breath hitched. His heart rate increased. He couldn't help it; he knew it was sleep talk, and that Nagisa wouldn't remember it when he woke up… But still, the fact that Nagisa thought about him, even in his dreams, it filled Rei with an inexplicably deep sense of joy that made him want to melt into a puddle on the floor. He had no idea how long Nagisa had been saying his name in his sleep, but now, ever since he first heard it, the night before regionals, he always listened for it whenever the sleeping blond was nearby. And, no matter how many times he heard Nagisa say his name, it still produced the same results every time. It was a good thing that Nagisa was always asleep for this, because Rei was sure that his red face and dorky grin did not make him look beautiful at all. That dorky grin faded into a fond smile as Nagisa slid an arm over Rei's legs and hugged them tightly. And in that moment, Rei decided that he couldn't' be irritated at the smaller boy even if he wanted to.

Truth be told, he was more disappointed than anything else. Not that Nagisa had fallen asleep on him; that, he was secretly quite pleased about. The fact that Nagisa trusted him enough and felt comfortable enough with him to do that made him feel special and important. But…

_Couldn't you have waited five more minutes, Nagisa-kun? _ He thought to himself. _I was about to sing you a song… _

It wasn't originally his intention to share his feelings through music, but after Nagisa had suggested karaoke, it seemed like a good idea. What he hadn't realized though, was just how hard it would be to choose the perfect song, not just one that complimented his vocal range, but also one whose lyrics would convey everything that he was too shy to say to Nagisa on his own. A song that would tell Nagisa how beautiful he was, how charming he was, how one smile from him could brighten Rei's whole day, how he was all that Rei could think about sometimes, how he had changed Rei's entire world… Of course, upon browsing through the karaoke machine's countless love songs, he found most of them to be highly inadequate. All of them, really; he would have to write his own love song if he wanted it to be perfect, and even then it wouldn't really be perfect because Rei had no idea how to write music. He didn't know how to construct rhythms; he didn't know how to turn his words into a melody… And so he was dependent on other people's songs to say what he wanted to say. What did he want to say exactly?

Rei's brow furrowed in frustration as he turned his attention back to the screen. They still had another half hour before they had to meet up with Haru and the others, and he was determined to find the perfect song before then, or at least, as close to perfect as he could get. But what made a love song perfect? Surely, the criteria for a perfect love song was different for everyone; it probably just depended on what a particular person wanted to say to their loved one. Again it came down to words, those personal thoughts and feelings he couldn't learn from reading books. But his feelings for Nagisa- those were still being worked on, the words still jumbled in his brain, coming together in the wrong combinations, the wrong order… Still he had to try…

"You uhh… you make me feel happy in a way I've never felt before," he said quietly, looking down at Nagisa's soft peaceful face. "I know that you talk a lot, and you're impulsive, and you do crazy things, but even so… I find myself attracted to your presence, and every day I want to be with you more and more. I can't explain why. Maybe it's your beautiful pink eyes that always reflect what you're feeling, or the fact that when I'm with you, I find myself smiling and laughing more than I ever have before. My life was dull and grey, weighed down by logic and theories, but then you came along and added a splash of color to it. I feel lighter, a little more carefree, with each day that we spend together, and because of that, I'm so glad that I met you. You've taught me so much already in the few months that I've known you- the beauty of spontaneity, friendship, falling in love… And now, every time you smile at me, grab my hand, or even sit down next to me, I feel excited and at ease at the same time… It's this weird feeling that I can't explain properly; it's like this warm rush of butterflies fluttering in my chest… Yes, it's quite an unusual feeling, but the energy I get from it reminds me of you, and so I wouldn't give it up for anything, and I hope it never goes away..."

Nagisa didn't stir throughout Rei's entire speech, but Rei continued to talk to him while he browed through more songs, as if he was actually awake. Maybe if he was lucky, some of his words would reach the blond in his sleep, and he would wake up knowing that Rei loved him. That probably wouldn't happen, but at the very least, it was good practice for him to say these things out loud. It would help him be less nervous when he said them for real.

After a few more minutes of scrolling through the songs, Rei finally stopped on one that looked like it might be what he was looking for. It was an American song, but the lyrics had been translated into Japanese. Even the title seemed to fit the essence of Nagisa's entire personality… And how Rei felt when he was with him… _Bubbly_.

Rei clicked on the song and ran his fingers through Nagisa's hair one last time.

"Nagisa-kun," he said gently, as he picked up the mic. "I'm going to sing something for you, ok? I know you wanted to hear me sing, so… maybe you can still hear me…" The music started, and Rei looked up at the screen to read the lyrics. Then, after a brief intro, he began to sing…

_~I've been awake for awhile now_

_you've got me feeling like a child now_

_Cause every time I see your bubbly face_

I get the tingles in a silly place

It starts in my toes and I crinkle my nose

Wherever it goes; I always know

You make me smile, please stay for awhile now

Just take your time- wherever you go…~

Rei continued to sing softly, glancing down on occasion to see if Nagisa had woken up yet, but every time he checked, Nagisa was still sound asleep… Or at least he appeared to be, which was why he was so startled when he heard Nagisa's voice join in towards the end. It was quiet at first, but it grew louder and more animated with each line he sang. Nagisa had a nice, though imperfect, singing voice- it was high and sweet, yet very dynamic. And for a moment, Rei just listened.

_~I've been asleep for awhile now_

_You tuck me in just like a child now_

_Cause every time you hold me in your arms_

_I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth~_

As Nagisa sang, not once did he break eye contact with Rei. It was as though he was talking to him telepathically through his gaze, almost begging him to join back in. And so, Rei did what he always did when Nagisa asked him to do something. He listened. They finished the last chorus together, and when the song was over, Nagisa sat up, and Rei scooted away a few inches. He spent a good few minutes staring down at the floor; too embarrassed to say anything. Then he felt Nagisa's hand intertwining with his, and he couldn't help but look up and smile.

"I knew Rei-chan had a lovely singing voice," Nagisa said, giving Rei's hand a light squeeze. And there it was again, that warm, fluttering… bubbly feeling was back, and he felt his face getting warm again.

"Umm… thanks… So… Nagisa-kun? How long have you been awake?"

At this question, Nagisa gave Rei a soft smile. "Long enough." And with that, he leaned in and kissed Rei on the cheek. "I love you too, Rei-chan." And that validation, that beautiful feeling of acceptance; that was all Rei needed to hear.

* * *

_**A/N: **And suddenly, shameless fluff; whoops! I had to write it though; I am on Reigisa feels overload, with the duets and the drama CD and Rei's interview (OMG CAN THEY JUST KISS ALREADY?) and they're just so damn cute, and so this little fic-let just kind of happened. Also, the song Bubbly was on a cute little Reigisa playlist that I found on Tumblr like forever ago, and I don't know what song Rei was going to sing for Nagisa, but this is just one of many songs that I think would have been adorable. __(Lyrics belong to artist Colbie Calliat :3 ) Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this little story, and hope you're all enjoying the Reigisa ship as much as I am!_


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